Boxing & UFC Tips

UFC Fight Night 115: Volkov opens as surprise favourite against Struve


UFC Fight Night 115: Volkov opens as surprise favourite against Struve

As the UFC’s big summer of events winds down it’s time to look ahead to the near future, and more specifically it’s time to focus on UFC Fight Night 115 in Rotterdam which will feature a colossal heavyweight bout between Stefan Struve and Alexander Volkov.

The two Europeans will battle it out on September 2nd for the right to climb further up the heavyweight rankings, with Struve in particular feeling as if he could start to mount a title challenge if he can rack up a couple more wins.

In terms of the betting Sky Bet is the site we’ll be focusing on today, with the British bookies offering some interesting odds when it comes to how they think this bout will unfold.

Volkov, who is currently riding an impressive four fight win streak, is actually the favourite heading into Struve’s backyard. Alexander is currently at 8/11 to walk away with the victory, meanwhile, the tenured Struve is out to 11/10.

Despite this many will likely pile on Stefan in the days and weeks to come as we approach the fight, although it is interesting to note that several big names have fallen in European events where they were seen as the ‘people’s choice’.

One such example is Gunnar Nelson who was highly tipped to walk out of UFC Glasgow as the victor, however, Santiago Ponzinibbio had other ideas as he knocked the Icelandic superstar out in the very first round.

Both men have been finished before in their careers which makes it all the more surprising that their odds stand at 7/4 (Volkov) and 21/10 (Struve) respectively to get the TKO/KO finish, and it’s probably a safe bet to assume that this one won’t go the distance.

Struve has been vocal as of late regarding his desires for a shot at the title, with the Dutchman holding a victory over current Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic. At the age of just 29 Stefan still has a while left to go in his MMA journey, with this being the first time that he’ll face someone younger than him in the UFC.

So with just a few weeks to go until the big showdown get ready for a fight in which they’ll both come out of the blocks firing on all cylinders, with an expectant crowd of around 10,000 set to pile into the Ahoy Rotterdam for what is sure to be an absolute barnstormer of a card.